Lady Stardust

Once upon a time, there was a box. However, this box was literate. So, one day this box decided to read a book. The book was called The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. Box started reading it. At first, box wasn’t very impressed. As the story went on, Box just hated it more. One of it’s many problems was one so dark, so gruesome that I can barely mention it’s name. It is not exclusive to The Da Vinci Code, however. It has struck many books. Even in good books, right when box would feel snug and comfortable, box’s hopes would come crashing down.

Box had experienced this many times before. The feeling of a book that starts out great, that enthralls the reader, that has great potential, yet fails due to a tragic flaw.

However, it is especially wrenching every time. For some books do not fail because of something unavoidable. The usual bad prose, rushed ending, disappointing plotline were not here. No, those were absent.

This was something much more sinister.

It was easily avoidable, yet still, a dark, creeping beast lurking in the heart of every author—

It was the Forced Love Interest.

Many authors have suffered from it. Truth be told, it is not an easy thing to escape. After all, it has such a prominent role in the media – where, in most popcorn films, the guy always gets the gal (regardless of whether or not they have any chemistry), or the gal always gets the guy, or something like that.

Its rules are simple, yet malicious, and many writers fall for it. It does not care whether or not the two people in question have known each other for a significant amount of time, whether they go together, whether it makes any sense for them to fall in love. No, it does not care. It will match the two characters up immediately, regardless of these necessities. Its only rule is: if it will help the book sell, it’s good.

It will usually strike right for the heart of the story — the protagonist, most often, it so happens. Right where it will have the biggest effect.

Now, one may think, “So it is a love interest. Why care should we? Love is a good thing, no?” Well, you should care. Deeply. This fiendish creature will affect all aspects of the story- the prose, the plot, and, most importantly, the characters.

Oh, yes, the characters. It will change the very fabric of their being, every little aspect, and forcibly, to make them fit to the image of the Forced Love Interest. One may think “Oh, but the characters may do whatever they feel, it is just natural!” But it is not! It is not natural for characters to forcibly fall in love with someone they are not in love with! It will destroy your story! Your characters will not actually feel this way, of course, and thus they will seem fake.

Because this usually happens to the main characters, whom are in most scenes of the book, this will destroy your book. The fakeness will leak into every scene, every nook, every cranny of your book, until it overtakes everything.

But this is a cynical, withered out old box — it is not surprised when it sees a Forced Love Interest. However, it hurt so much, seeing such a promising book soiled by this, this dark, evil, beast.

And such an easily avoidable one, too.

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